Founded in 2005, the Gideon T. Johnson Football Camp is for youth ages 8-16. Throughout the day, youth receive instruction from high school, college and professional football players on student-athleticism and moral values while learning the fundamentals of offensive and defensive football skills. This type of sportsmanship is expressed in the camps motto “Promoting a sense of responsibility to our kids.”To make this day a success, community volunteers join forces with college and professional football players at Jacksonville High School to provide instruction and positive leadership for the youth involved. After registration and opening announcements, youth are divided into age groups and taken to separate locations on campus. A typical camp day begins with combine skills at 8:30 a.m., group offense and defense, seven on seven drills, and closing remarks at 4:00 p.m. Lunch and water breaks are provided for everyone involved.Camp founder Gideon T. Johnson Jr. was quoted by The Globe to say “We talk about being responsible and respectful with kids as young as five and as old as 18. The parents love it and our contributors know we’re doing something helpful for the community”. Kendrick Rogers, a camp chairperson said the camp teaches the youth to give back to their community and to realize that there are more things in life than what they see on television and fitting in with their peers. The camp has been fortunate to have volunteers from college and professional football teams. Colleges represented include the University of North Carolina, North Carolina A&T University, Fayetteville State University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Western Carolina University, and Johnson C. Smith University. Players from professional football teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, the Green Bay Packers, the St. Louis Rams, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Houston Texans, and the Detroit Lions have also participated. The camp is held in honor of the late Coach Gideon T. Johnson Sr. who was a coach at Georgetown High School and Jacksonville High School.